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DK Shivakumar dismisses political motives for Delhi visit
Speculation about a leadership rift in Karnataka resurfaces as CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM Shivakumar reaffirm their partnership amid political rumors.
Persistent speculation over a leadership rift in Karnataka resurfaced this week, even as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar attempted to reaffirm their partnership. A brief trip by the deputy chief minister to Delhi on Wednesday revived talk of internal negotiations, though he insisted the visit was unrelated to politics.
Shivakumar, speaking at the Bengaluru airport on Thursday, said he travelled to Delhi to attend a wedding and to oversee preparations for the Congress rally scheduled for December 14 at Ramlila Maidan. The event is expected to draw 300 people from each district. “I had to go for a private wedding programme. Also, for the December 14th rally,” he said. “To arrange accommodation and other things, the responsibility has been given to the working president and AICC secretary. I held meetings in this regard and have come back.”
He rejected reports of meetings with the Congress leadership, accusing sections of the media of fuelling baseless narratives. “Every day is good news for us,” he said. “Every day you are creating news which does not have any strength.”
The renewed chatter comes weeks after the Congress government passed the halfway mark of its five year term, a moment that revived rumours about an informal power sharing understanding between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar in 2023. The two leaders recently held back to back breakfast meetings on the direction of the party high command -- interactions seen within the party as a way to cool tempers before the legislature session begins in Belagavi on December 8.
Shivakumar said he and the chief minister had scheduled a meeting with ministers later in the day to prepare for the winter session. He also confirmed that the chief minister’s planned meeting with state MPs and opposition leaders in Delhi on December 8 had been postponed following requests from Union ministers who are occupied with Parliament’s ongoing session.
In a separate development, Home Minister G Parameshwara denied that K C Venugopal, the party’s national general secretary, held political discussions during his recent visit. “I was seated beside the Chief Minister in the presence of K.C. Venugopal for two hours. We did not speak about politics at all. We discussed reformer Narayana Guru and his contributions,” Parameshwara said.
Responding to competitive sloganeering by supporters of Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar during Venugopal’s visit, Parameshwara said such displays were routine. “Can anyone stop party supporters if they raise slogans in favour of their leaders? Every leader has supporters,” he said. “They do it all the time, and it cannot be termed as wrong.”
He added that visible camaraderie between leaders should not be misinterpreted. “If leaders dining together, travelling together, or being seen together creates panic in the BJP, then we will do it more,” he said. When asked whether Congress leaders themselves were uneasy, he replied that he would answer only if questions were specific.
Meanwhile, divisions have emerged within the BJP over a proposal to move a no confidence motion against the government. The idea, advanced by Karkala MLA V Sunil Kumar, has drawn interest from some OBC and Dalit legislators, who argue that internal tension in the ruling party presents an opening. Kumar said a no confidence motion would force a full debate on governance and test “unity of the governing party.”
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah brushed off the prospect, saying he had only learned of the plan from news reports. After another breakfast meeting at Shivakumar’s residence, he said the party was prepared for anything the opposition might attempt.
